34.company has been approached to buy U. K. media assets, Reuters reports.35.Robert lger, Disney’s president, who made the announcement to a36.London audience at the Royal Television Society’s conference.37.Pixar/Disney feature films include Finding Nemo , Toy Story, and Monsters Inc.38.Media giant Walt Disney Co. operates Walt Disney Parks & Resorts: then39.owns ABC television network, with 10 broadcast stations and more40.than 60 radio stations: and produces films through by Walt Disney Studios.41.lger also said the company at one time it had been approached to buy42.ITV, a U.K.television channel as along with some assets of the BBO, the report stated.43.Steve Jobs, the head of Pixar Animation Studios Inc., who said in June44.he would consider of a new distribution deal with Disney. At the time, no talks were under way.45.Disney and Pixar, who have released five films together, called off for previous talks in January to renew their distribution deal.The companies’ last film together, The Cars, is slated for release in 2005. 42()
Common Stock and preferred StockA public corporation issues certificates of ownership, called common stock, which may be traded on stock exchanges.Anyone can buy and sell shares of common stock.Owners of stock are referred to as shareholders and stockholders. common stockholders are accorded certain rights by the corporate charter.In the United States, these rights vary from state to state, but in general the articles of incorporation spell out voting rights and rights to receive profits.Common stockholders are the voting owners of a corporation.They are usually entitled to one vote per share.They may vote on numerous issues affecting the corporation (including a decision to sell or merge with another corporation) and elect a board of directors, who, in turn, hire managers to run the business.A majority shareholder is one who owns over 50 percent of the outstanding shares in a corporation and, thus, can call the shots.All other shareholders are minority shareholders.In large corporations no single person or organization owns anywhere near a majority interest.In large, publicly owned corporations a shareholder with as little as 10 percent of the shares may control the corporation effectively.If things go bad, a coalition of so called dissident shareholders may gather enough votes to replace the existing board of directors; the new board may fire the existing management and bring in their own management team.Although common stock represents ownership in a company, it does not guarantee the owners a specified rate of return.As owners, the stockholders receive profits after all expenses, including debts and taxes, have been paid. They receive profits from the business in the form of dividend payments, which represent a percentage of profits.Not all after-tax profits are paid to the stockholders in dividends.Directors usually decide quarterly how much, if any, if the profits they wish to distributed to the owners. The profits are either distributed to the owners in dividends or they are reinvested bank into the company in the form of retained earnings.If the company decides to keep the profits, the company may become more valuable and the price of the stock usually goes up.Some investors prefer profits in the way of dividends while others speculate for an increase in the price of stock.If a company goes broke, common stockholders get last claim on whatever is left over.Corporations may also issue preferred stock to investors.Preferred stock usually has no vote in the election of the board of directors, but does get preference in the distribution of the company’s earnings.It offers investors a different type pf security and may be issued only after common stock had been issued.The term "preferred" applies to two conditions.First, preferred stockholders gain preferential treatment in the matter of dividends; that is, they receive a fixed rate of dividends prior to the payment of dividends on common shares.Second, if the company goes out of business or liquidates, preferred stockholders are closer to the front of the line than common stockholders when distributing the company’s assets.Dividends to preferred stock may be cumulative or noncumulative.cumulative preferred stock maintained its claim to dividends even if the company had a bad year in 1994, they might decide not to pay dividends.But if they had a good year in 1995, and declared stock dividends do not accumulate.If dividends are not declared, noncumulative owners lose their claim to the profit of that period.In short, common stock usually has more control through voting privileges, greater chance for high returns and more risk, whereas preferred stock usually has less control,fixed returns, less risks, and less chance for big gains. With cumulative preferred stock, stockholders can()
A. claim to the former profits when the company has a good year.
B. have more control over the company.
C. claim to the former profits when the company had a bad year.
D. receive high returns.
The move to self-service has meant that in many shops, fewer tasks are now performed by store assistants.Typical tasks which remain are making sure that shelves and counters are fully (19) taking the customer’s payment, and (20) the purchases.However, in some shops, the more traditional selling skills are still important.In larger stores, it is normal for a range of (21) to be rotated among staff, giving greater work variety.Every customer has different (22) and different reasons for coming into the store.Some know (23) what they want, ask for it and buy it.Many, however,are not sure, and if they are not (24) correctly they may go somewhere else to buy.The store assistant must (25) when and how to offer help, and gain the customer’s confidence with the (26) amount of questioning about what they are looking for.They can then give information and advice about the products which might (27) the customer’s requirements.This demands both communication skills and knowledge of the product.Finally, they have to persuade the customer to make the (28) to buy, and " close the deal " If the customer is just (29) the store assistant needs to offer efficient and friendly service, hoping that the customer will return when he or she is ready to buy.It is worth remembering that many stores depend on their (30) customers for a large part of their (31) .The actual tasks of a store assistant vary with the type of goods sold.In a men’s outfitters these could include (32) a customer for a suit.In an electronics store,it is vital to be able to (33) how a computer or hi-fi unit works and to ensure that the customer has any accessories they might need. 24()
A. conducted
B. treated
C. serviced
D. controlled
34.company has been approached to buy U. K. media assets, Reuters reports.35.Robert lger, Disney’s president, who made the announcement to a36.London audience at the Royal Television Society’s conference.37.Pixar/Disney feature films include Finding Nemo , Toy Story, and Monsters Inc.38.Media giant Walt Disney Co. operates Walt Disney Parks & Resorts: then39.owns ABC television network, with 10 broadcast stations and more40.than 60 radio stations: and produces films through by Walt Disney Studios.41.lger also said the company at one time it had been approached to buy42.ITV, a U.K.television channel as along with some assets of the BBO, the report stated.43.Steve Jobs, the head of Pixar Animation Studios Inc., who said in June44.he would consider of a new distribution deal with Disney. At the time, no talks were under way.45.Disney and Pixar, who have released five films together, called off for previous talks in January to renew their distribution deal.The companies’ last film together, The Cars, is slated for release in 2005. 37()